Prevalence of violence against the elderly and associated factors - a population based study in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina

Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of violence among the elderly and to analyze its association with demographic, socioeconomic and health conditions. Method: A cross sectional population-based study was conducted of 1,705 individuals aged 60 years or older living in the city of Florianópolis in the state of Santa Catarina, between 2009 to 2010. Verbal, psychological, physical and financial violence was evaluated with a questionnaire used in the Pesquisa Saúde Bem-estar e Envelhecimento (Health and Well-being in Aging Survey) (SABE). Prevalence was calculated for each type of violence and the overall prevalence of violence was identified using the categories of the explanatory variables. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with violence. Results: The general prevalence of violence was approximately 13.0%, while verbal violence occurred among 11.0% of respondents. The adjusted analysis showed that being female (OR=2.08) and elderly persons who were single or divorced were 66% more likely to suffer violence. Those who lived with their children or grandchildren were twice as likely to suffer violence (95% CI: 1:40 to 3:40). Conclusions: Although the results showed that the prevalence of violence against the elderly was greater than predicted by the WHO, we suspect that this number may be even higher. Due to the complexity of the theme, it is possible that elderly persons are afraid to reveal that they are victims of violence, as in most cases, the aggressors are family members